The Wilmette Theatre is proud to be hosting the Chicago premiere of Northwestern University graduate Sam Logan Khaleghi's action thriller, "Approaching Midnight", the story of an army combat veteran who returns from Afghanistan only to face death, corruption and deception in his smallLousiana hometown.
The PG-rated fim stars Logan Khaleghi alongside country music superstar Jana Kramer ("One Tree Hill"), Mia Serafino ("Oz, the Great & Powerful"), Brandon T. Jackson ("Percy Jackson:Sea of Monsters"), Michelle Lynne Balser and Dean Teaster. It was written and directed by Logan Khaleghi, who also plays the main character, Staff Sgt. Wesley Kent.
29 year-old Logan Khaleghi, who was born in Iran and moved to the U.S. as a child, calls the movie "fiction in a real-world setting". In "Approaching Midnight", Sgt. Kent comes home from the battlefield to discover his girlfriend murdered. When he tries to get answers, he is stymied by corruption and deceit.
Logan Khaleghi, a 2010 Northwestern University communications grad, is an Emmy-nominated film producer. He has produced several short films and appeared in TV movies but this is his first feature film. "Approaching Midnight" was actually years in the making. Thinking about worldwide events a decade ago, Logan Khaleghi began jotting down ideas and notes for scenes on scrap pieces of paper. They became the basis for a screenplay which eventually was made into the film. It was financed independently for $1 million and Monterey Films picked up the movie this year.
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Why hold the Chicago-area premiere in Wilmette?
"When I was a student at Northwestern", said Logan Khaleghi, "I'd often go to see art films and independents at the Wilmette Theatre, so when I started looking for a venue, the Wilmette seemed like an obvious choice".
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In June, the 99-year-old theatre was chosen for the Chicago premiere of Sofia Coppola's film, "The Bling Ring". On October 12 and 13, two weeks after hosting the premiere of "Approaching Midnight", the Wilmette will also host the Chicago premiere of "Putzel", a feature film directed by a 1990 New Trier grad, Jason Chaet.
"Approaching Midnight" had its national premiere last month at the American Legion convention in Houston. Part of the proceeds from the screening were donated to the American Legion.
"American Legion members were pivotal in the making of this film. They were extras and an American Legion honor guard appears in the film", said Logan Khaleghi.
The 96 minute film premieres in the Chicago area Friday, September 27 at 7:30 pm at the Wilmette Theatre, 1122 Central Avenue, Wilmette. It will be followed by a live Q & A with Logan Khaleghi. Tickets for this special event are $10 and can be purchased on-line at www.wilmettetheatre.com
